The Battle of Saragarhi - An Epic Last Stand
By Paarth Aggarwal
The Battle of Saragarhi is considered to be one of the best and bravest last stands ever known in the history of the British Empire. It took place on 12th September 1987 when just 21 Sepoys defended Fort Saragarhi against 10,000 Afghan tribesmen. Led by Havildar Ishar Singh, the soldiers in the fort (modern day Pakistan-Afghan border) — all of whom were Sikhs — chose to fight to the death for nearly 10 hours with ammunition and bayonets over surrendering against the Afghans. To honour the selfless commitment and courage of these Sikh warriors, they were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest gallantry award of the time.
Why did the battle happen in the first place?
After tension between Russia and Britain in Europe ended with the June 1878 Congress of Berlin, Russia turned its attention to Central Asia. That same summer, Russia sent an uninvited diplomatic mission to Kabul in July 1878. In response, Lord Lytton, the viceroy of India, ordered a British diplomatic mission to set out for Kabul in September 1878, but the mission was turned back as it approached the eastern entrance of the Khyber Pass, triggering the Second Anglo–Afghan War.
After the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878 – 1880) ended in disaster, growing contempt between the Pashtuns, the natives, towards the British increased, leading to a series of attacks on the border. In response, in 1897, Fort Saragarhi, Gulistan and Lockhart were imposed as posts for forward British attacks against the Afghans. However, they all had weak garrisons imposed; seeing this, the Afghans saw this opportunity to attack and take control of the province leading to the Battle of Saragarhi.
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/they-died-fighting-like-demons-the-australian-who-witnessed-the-battle-of-saragarhi
On 12 September 1897, an estimated 10,000 Orakzai and Afridi tribesmen were seen near Gogra, at Samans Suk and around Saragarhi, cutting off Fort Gulistan from Fort Lockhart. The Afghans attacked the outpost of Saragarhi where thousands of them swarmed and surrounded the fort, preparing to assault it.
Saragarhi Day
After the fall of Saragarhi, another Indian Contingent from Fort Lockhart recaptured the fort from the Afghans and the garrison was further strengthened. Queen Victoria (1819 – 1901) commemorated the 12th of September as “Saragarhi Day” and it is celebrated by Sikhs from all over the world every year as the Regimental Battle Honours Day. The 21 Sikh non-commissioned officers and soldiers who died in the Battle of Saragarhi were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit.
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